DONNA BERGESON

1936-2012

Donna Bergeson, 75, of Carroll, died Tuesday, May 15, 2012, at her residence.

Her body was donated to the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Iowa for research, and following completion of their studies she has been cremated. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18, at Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll with Father Timothy Johnson from Holy Spirit Church in Carroll officiating. Donna’s family will receive friends one hour prior to services at the funeral home.

Private family burial will be Monday at Carroll City Cemetery.

Born July 23, 1936, at Carroll, Donna was a daughter of Leonard and Martha (Huegerich) Schirck. Donna graduated from Carroll High School in 1954 and Morningside College in Sioux City with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in elementary education.

She taught in Pisgah, Iowa, for two years and St. Lawrence School in Carroll from 1958-1963 in the fifth grade before relocating to Sioux City. There she taught at Webster, Sloan and Washington Elementary Schools for a total of 45 years, retiring in 2001.

After moving back to Carroll she volunteered as a leader in the RSVP Grade 5 Speak Up Program for many years. While teaching in Sioux City, she received many honors including nomination to “Who’s Who Among American Teachers” in 1996 and again in 2000. Inclusion in this publication is through nomination by former students.

She mentored over 25 student-teachers in her classroom, helping them to succeed in their teaching careers. On July 16, 1973 she married Mearl H. (Bud) Bergeson in Winner, S.D. Bud died in 1999.

Donna is survived by her beloved sister Marilyn Setzler of Carroll; her brother Denis (Shirley) Schirck of Carroll; as well as her stepchildren: Jennifer, Mearl and Melissa; her sister-in-law Francis Bergeson Jensen; as well as many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Bud; brother Earl and his wife Laura Schirck; and her brother-in-law, Ron Setzler.

Memorials may be sent to All Strings Attached, P.O. Box 253 Carroll, Iowa, 51401 or to the Carroll Public Library Foundation.